The Twin Roses
by Hakuyaku
Summary: "Heroes weren't born. They were made." The Shepard twins. Toughest rivals and dearest families. Messed up kids who never though they would become galaxy saviours. This is their story. From the very beginning till the end. May contain SLASH (or not) since I still don't know which LIs I should choose for the twins. Suggestions are welcomed!
1. 0: Still Red

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the game. Bioware does.

**Note: **I know, my English and writing skill are horrible. I just want to share my story so badly. Still, hope you guys enjoy it. :)

Any suggestions which LIs should I choose for the twins would be more than fine. I support LGBT and same-sex romance so I may even agree to do a Garrus/mShep or Tali/femShep fic. But we'll see.

* * *

**.Prologue: Still red.**

_Once there were twin roses. One was thriving. One was withering. Two were facing backwards._

* * *

**April 11, 2154 - Mindoir**

"We might lose one of them."

And the doctor said.

Like a bullet that penetrated the tiresome heart. Mommy turned. She saw. Her children. Newborn. Still _red_.

_Beautiful._

"No, we don't. Tell me they will be fine…"

Broken voice. She pleaded to the man and woman holding her children. Too weak to sit up from the bed.

Red blood painted their bodies. Rosy red hair covered their heads. Perfectly stood out in the middle of the operation room.

_Beautiful._

"The girl will live, but the boy… he's weakening."

A rosy red head moved a little. Mommy's little girl.

She cried. Still _red_.

The other red head stayed still. Mommy's little boy.

He didn't cry. Still _red_.

"You must save him! Do something!"

Her hand moved toward the doctor. Grabbed his hand. Held tight.

Mommy's little girl kept crying. Louder and louder. Almost seemed like she was crying for her silent brother.

"Ma'am, I understand you want to save him. But there're… records of children who were exposed to element zero in utero. Most of them… suffer some health problems. Cancer. Or worse. Your daughter was lucky… but your son…"

The doctor said. Dared not to look her in the eyes.

He knew what would become the little boy's fate: another child was lost because of Eezo exposure.

Some survived. Some did not. Those weren't his rules.

Some were still _red_.

"I… please… do something… can you at least… try to save him?"

Icy blue eyes filled with tears. Every four walls of the room resounded with mommy's broken voice.

Rosy red haired twins lied there. The beautiful girl was filled with life, while the son awaiting his death.

He was still _red_.

"We'll do what we can. But we can't promise you anything."

And when the machine raised its voice. The damnedest news no one would want to hear.

Mommy had lost him.

And he was still _red_.

* * *

_Once there were twin roses. One was thriving. One was withering. Two were facing backwards._

_Soon there would be none._

* * *

Thank you so much for reading. :3


	2. 1: Under the Dark Grey Sky

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the game. Bioware does.

**Note: **Never thought that you guys would read this :o! Thank you very much xD!

I know, my English and writing skill are horrible. I just want to share my story so badly. Still, hope you guys enjoy it. :)

Any suggestions which LIs should I choose for the twins would be more than fine. I support LGBT so I'm always willingly to choose a same-sex romance. I have just finished my plathrough with Liara/femShep and a forever alone mShep. With your suggestions, I'll try other romances and see if I can feel their love. :3

** assassinLawson21: **thanks for the review! I'm glad you love it :3. Liara/femShep sounds very tempting, very good idea! I really mean it! XD About Miranda I have mixed feelings for her so I'm not sure :s. But thank you! XD

** TW6464: **thank you so much for the review and suggestion :3. Garrus/femShep is a very good idea, the problem is I haven't romanced him in my game yet :s. Maybe I'll try romancing him and see if I can feel their love ;). I like Tali but I always see her as a little sister. Still, not a bad idea xD. Maybe I'll change my mind after I try romancing her. :3

** Mebi: **thanks for the review and suggestion, Mebi XD! About Garrus and Tali I have already said above, I'll think about these suggestions after I've finished my playthroughs romancing both of them. XD

* * *

**.1: Under the Dark Grey Sky.**

_She was not a perfect mother. She was not a perfect daughter. He was not a perfect son._

_They were not a perfect family._

* * *

**April 11, 2167 – Mindoir**

She was not a perfect mother.

Rosy red head rocking back and forth on the wooden chair. Hands silently caressing the soft texture of the folded clothes on her laps.

It was four in the evening and the children should be home soon.

She didn't have much time for herself. If there were some, she spent most of them looking back at her life.

Not the kind of life she would be proud of.

_The hard life of a small family under the dark grey sky._

She gave her children a hard life. Small house. Enough for a mother and two children. Though there weren't any privacy in the house.

Old clothes. Wearing the same things over and over. Though she always made sure they were clean.

Decent meals twice a day. Not the best. But acceptable. Though not enough to keep the older twin from falling ill almost every years.

She couldn't be their friends. She couldn't give them any advice. Not enough to keep the younger twin from causing troubles.

* * *

_"Mommy, there's a guy in school…"_

_"Not now, honey. Mommy is busy."_

* * *

And she sent them away. Just like that.

_Leave mommy alone. Mommy needs to work._

She couldn't give them a father.

Her husband died ten years ago in the First Contact War on Shanxi. And it was up to her alone to take care of their children.

War was menace. Soldiers were troublesome.

_Had to make sure none of her children enlisted in the army._

Didn't have time to look at other men. Never wanted to. Didn't care. The house was crowded enough for another mouth to feed.

She couldn't give her children decent gifts on their birthday.

Thirteen years ago she gave birth to twins. Almost lost the older one. One minute of clinical death. And miraculously revived.

* * *

_"The time of death is…"_

_"Wait, doctor, something is happening!"_

_"What the…? Hold on… He… he's breathing again!"_

* * *

He should be dead. Had he died, things would be easier then. Only a mouth to feed. Only a healthy girl to take care of. But she couldn't bear the thought of losing him.

A sick child. A troublesome child. Yet she loved him.

And there was the girl. Always had a knack for getting in troubles. She didn't have many friends. With that reputation nobody surprised.

Another troublesome child. Yet she loved her.

That day was their birthday. Some hand-made new clothes as gifts. Not decent ones. Hopefully acceptable.

Icy blue eyes found their ways looking out of the windows. At the road laying before them.

_Under the dark grey sky._

It was four in the evening and the children should be home soon. Quickly wrapped the clothes in boxes, she stood up from the chair, leaving all of her troubling thoughts and memories behind. There were things to do.

Her name was Hannah Shepard.

She was not a perfect mother, just an ordinary woman who worked her ass off to feed her children.

* * *

She was not a perfect daughter.

Rosy red hair. Short since she wanted to keep it simple. Emerald green eyes. Mommy said she had her father's eyes.

Thirteen years old and good looking. Despite of that, she never had friends. She hated friends. For friends would try to help her family. For friends would throw at her comforting words about her life.

Fuck that. She didn't need anybody's sympathy.

For thirteen years she and her family lived just fine. A little difficult but at least they were living.

There were idiots who tried to pick on her. And she always knew how to deal with them. Sometimes she came home with a purple eye and some bruises, but she always made sure those guys had worse.

Just like that day.

A bruise on her left cheek. She didn't feel any pain. Just a little angry. At least she beat the crap out of that brat.

"Are you ok?"

A familiar voice. She turned around. Quickly turned away and continued walking home as she recognized the face that almost the same as hers.

Her twin brother. Mommy's fucking little angel.

"Are you ok?"

Her brother repeated, walking next to her. Stayed silent for a while, then she raised her voice.

"Fine. I'm not you."

"You worry me, you know? Was it that hard to simply walk away?"

"Yes."

"You will get yourself in big troubles if you keep it that way."

"Just because you were born five minutes sooner than me doesn't mean you have the rights to lecture me."

She gave her brother an angry glare then quickly charged forwards before he even had a chance to reply.

She hated her brother. So self-righteous. Always wanted to do things the easy way.

The painful truth was that mommy cared for him more than for her.

Just because he died once when they were born. Just because he was constantly ill. Just because he was so fragile that always needed mommy's protection.

He gave mommy a lot of troubles. And yet mommy didn't care.

Somehow his weakness saved him a lot of troubles. And he didn't care about how people treated him, even with sympathy.

_And there was a fact that he always smiled no matter how dark grey the sky was._

That pissed her off.

Her name was Roseline Shepard.

She was not a perfect daughter, just a lonely teenage girl with a troubling mind.

* * *

He was not a perfect son.

Rosy red hair. Inherited his mother's icy blue eyes. Thirteen years old and good looking. Unlike his sister, he had many friends, who cared about him.

And he cared about them. Always thankful for having someone to share his thoughts. Though most of the time he kept them to himself. Never wanted to bother anyone. Never wanted to be seen as a whiner.

He had friends. But none he called best friend.

He wanted to be friends with his sister. Though he always failed. She never liked him. That didn't mean he would stop trying.

Was always viewed as a weak child. Was always treated like "handle with care". Was always giving mother hard times.

Acted as normal. Acted like he didn't care.

He did care. The truth hurt him. And he never revealed that to anybody.

Never wanted to bother anyone. Never wanted to be seen as a whiner.

Never wanted to be born that way.

He looked at her sister's back as she ran in front of his eyes. Never before had she turned to look at him face to face. Most of the time she let him talk to her back.

He wanted to be friends with her. She did not. She hated him. Yet he didn't seem to care.

It was four in the evening, they would be home soon.

_Ahh… today is our birthday._

A happy thought appeared in his mind. Trying to be optimist. Trying to act like "everything will be fine". Whistling a happy song, he slowly returned home.

_And he was smiling at the dark grey sky._

Nobody could choose how they were born. But they could choose how they lived their life.

And he would not let his past define who he would become.

His name was Rossel Shepard.

He was not a perfect son, just a teenage boy who never wanted to be born the way he was.

It was four in the evening and the children were home.

The small house enough for three under the dark grey sky.

* * *

_She was not a perfect mother. She was not a perfect daughter. He was not a perfect son._

_They were not a perfect family._

_Just some people who tried to live by._

* * *

Thank you so much for reading. :3

And thank you so much for the suggestions. XD


	3. 2: Into the Forest Green

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the game. Bioware does.

**Note: **Thanks alot for the reviews! You guys really made my day! :3

English wasn't my first language so there will be some mistakes. I'll try my best to avoid them but if there are any please don't let they bother you. :(

Any suggestions which LIs should I choose for the twins would be more than fine. I support LGBT so I'm always willingly to choose a same-sex romance. I have just finished my playthrough with Liara/femShep and a forever alone mShep. With your suggestions, I'll try other romances and see if I can feel their love :3.

**TW6464: **Thanks for your review! Yes, I know about "Tali's face" controversy. Such a shame. I may see Tali as a little sister but I still like her and really wish to see her face. Her REAL face... :(

**Emma: **Thank you so much for your review! I'm glad you like the first two chapters XD! I think I'll try Ashley's romance to see how things turn out. I like Kaidan so I always end up choosing him on Virmire. But I think I'm going to save Ashley for a change. :3

* * *

**.2: Into the Forest Green.**

-/-

**June 2, 2168 – Mindoir**

There was a small ray of light shining through the rocky slot above. No sound.

Tiny blue dusts floating in the air. Some lingered on the rocks beneath. Some covered the bloody body lied on top of them.

Red blood painted the body like a newborn child. Rosy red hair mixed with the color of blood and tiny blue dusts.

Motionless. Not dead. _Yet_.

Could still feel the pain. Could still smell the blood. Mind was a mess. Couldn't think. Couldn't move.

Not dead. _Yet_.

_Soon._

-/-

Emerald green eyes quickly traded the surrounding a look. Green. Almost the same as the iris color. Slightly darker. The green of leaf.

Forest green.

Looking for a pair of icy blue eyes. Looking for a rosy red head.

Not there. Not here. All green. All brown. The brown of dirt and wood.

"Where is he?"

Voice raised. A little frustrated. A little worried.

"I don't know! He was right behind us!"

Another voice raised. A boy's voice. Brown eyes looking back and forth. Worried. Scared.

"Damn it! He must have gotten lost when we were chased by that varren!"

Emerald green eyes continued searching. Looking back. Stepping forward. Looking around. Moving backward.

Forest green. Wooden brown. A pair of worried brown eyes and a lonely rosy red head. Mixed with the night-falling sky like a color palette.

But where was the other _red_?

Small hands thrust into the dark green bushes ahead.

He could have fallen in here. He could have hit his head on a rock or something and become unconscious.

Small hands digging deeper and deeper.

Didn't let the fact that those thorns might leave some unpleasant scratches bother her much.

Didn't care. Never mind.

"I knew this is a bad idea! We shouldn't have come here! Rose, this is your fault!"

Worried brown eyes stared at the rosy red head. Accusing voice getting louder and louder.

This. Bothered her very much.

"Shut up!"

She stood up, staring back at the worried brown eyes. Moving closer to the boy. Scratchy small hands quickly grabbed the white collar.

"I've had enough with your whining, Tom! Now if you don't want to help me find my twin brother before it's too late, get the hell outta here!"

Tom shuddered. Couldn't say more. Couldn't protest. Silently nodded.

That voice. Those emerald green eyes.

Reminded him never mess with Roseline. A lesson he nearly forgot.

Roseline let go of Tom's collar. Moving forward. Returned to her search with Tom walking behind.

"Never thought you care about Rossel."

"I don't."

The girl suddenly stopped walking for a while. Frowned.

"Mom will be very pissed if I don't bring him home."

Just like that. She continued walking.

Deeper into the forest green.

-/-

There was a small ray of light. A tiny piece of hope.

The pain was overwhelming. Irritated.

Rossel tried to move. Icy blue eyes closed tight. Let the teeth left the lower lip a small bite mark. Nearly drew blood. The brain was trying to give the most basic command.

Move.

Fingers obeyed. Yet the body was being stubborn.

He tried to make his brain work properly. No time to mourn. No time to blame himself for his recklessness. No time to panic.

He remembered how he gotten into this. How _they_ gotten into this mess.

* * *

_And Roseline said, "Let's go to the forest. After school?"_

_Out of sudden. Right in the middle of the class. No one could predict that. Then again, not many could predict the rosy red haired girl._

_"Forest is a dangerous place. Why do you want to go there?", asked Rossel._

_"Dangerous places always have interesting things."_

_"Correction. Dangerous places always have high chances of dying.", another voice raised. That was Tom._

_"What? You guys chicken?", Roseline crossed her arms, staring at the two boys sitting in front of her and suddenly gave them a smirk._

_"We just want to live a little bit longer, thank you very much.", replied Tom with a frown._

_Rossel silently looked at his sister. A glimpse of thought passed his mind as he spoke, giving his sister a gentle smile._

_"It's because of mom, right? You think she lied."_

_Roseline stayed silent. Didn't look into Rossel's icy blue eyes. He knew. He was always the first to know. No point in looking at him._

_He would just know she was lying if she tried to deny._

_"Yeah."_

_"We could go. But why today? We could wait until the weekend. It's safer to go in the morning."_

_"I… I can't wait. I have to make sure… Well, it's ok. If you guys don't wanna go today then I'll go alone. No harm done."_

_The girl shook her head. This was something she wanted to know. To make sure. A couple of days could drive her insane._

_Never good with dealing with her own feelings. Always felt the need to make sure every burdens were taken care of as soon as possible._

_"Then we go today. But we have to hurry. When it gets dark there's no returning. We could also tell mom that we're going to go home late, gotta do some school's activities.", Rossel nodded, still keeping his usual smile._

_"Why help? Thought this is not your kind of things?"_

_"If it helps putting you at ease, why not?", the older twin smiled, then turned back as a sign of ending the conversation._

_Roseline looked at her brother's back. Shook her head. Mumbling. Looked away._

_"Don't do me any favour."_

_Meanwhile, someone was forgotten..._

* * *

This little "trip" turned out to be a mess.

Always knew there was a high risk of being in danger. But being chased by a wandering varren wasn't exactly what Rossel could foresee.

Nor falling into a hole on the ground.

And there he was. Waiting for his death on a bed of rocks. Didn't even need a coffin. The hole was suitable enough.

And what were those _tiny blue dusts_? Never saw them before.

Groaned. Could have broken a few bones. Maybe a rib. Hurt like hell.

Tried to breathe. Even breathing was hard. Hurt like hell.

Tried to move. Tried to sit up. Tried to figure out how to get out of this hole.

Still hurt like hell.

"Damned…"

Cursed. Breathe. Groaned. Moved.

Cursed. Breathe. Groaned. Moved.

_Was always viewed as a weak child. Was always treated like "handle with care". Was always giving mother hard times._

Never wanted to be viewed that way.

Cursed. Breathe. Groaned. Moved.

Move.

The blue dusts-mixing air was roused by the agony cry. The sound of shifting rocks disturbed the silence of the dark hole.

Two hands held high. The body soon followed.

He turned. Fingernails dug into the rocks beneath as he tried to crawl his way out of the hole. Fortunate enough, the diagonal ground made things a little bit easier.

Longing for a forest green. Not the darkness of the hole.

The trembling body left a trail of blood as it moved. Every muscles in it ached for lying down. Yet the brain was being stubborn this time.

Kept cursing. Kept breathing. Kept groaning.

Kept moving.

Until he could see the light. Until he could smell other things other than his own blood. Until he could feel the green grass right inside his bleeding hands.

Until the color of the night-falling sky became fully visible.

And the _forest green_.

He laughed as he realized he was standing on the grassy ground. Surrounded by the forest green.

Covered in blood and tiny blue dusts, he staggered forwards. Still smiling like an idiot. An idiot that was supposed to be dead.

Deeper into the forest green.

Tiring legs kept on walking. Wishing to see a familiar rosy red head. Wishing to see a pair of worried brown eyes.

A trail of tiny blue dusts lingered on the grassy ground beneath caught his attention. As the night was falling the dusts shone brighter and brighter. Almost seemed like they were guiding the boy through the forest.

Blue dusts floating in the air. Blue dusts covering the grass. Blue dusts lingering on the boy's body.

Kept walking. Tiring legs walked faster as the eyes noted something was shining in the far end of the dusty trail.

Could be a house. Could be a lamp post. Could be Roseline and Tom's flashlights. Could be anything.

But it wasn't. It was something more. Much more.

Icy blue eyes opened wide in awe as Rossel saw what was right before him.

Tiny blue dusts floating in the air. Shining bright. Just like a miniture galaxy. The forest green was dyed with the shade of light blue dusts.

And there. Right in the middle.

Was the silent grave of a crashed spaceship.

-/-

"What about your mom?"

"What is it now, Tom?", Roseline annoyingly asked as she heard the question.

Worried brown eyes fixed on the rosy red head. Stopped for a second. Turning on his flashlight. Then continued to ask.

"Your mom. What about her? Rossel said that you thought she lied. About what?"

"You just need to know she lied, that's all.", replied Roseline, still walking deep into the forest.

"I need to know, Rose! I'm in this shit now! I'm with you guys now! If I'm gonna be some Varrens' meal, at least I know what I'll die for!", Tom nearly yelled, suddenly shuddered as he realized what he just said.

"Family's business, that's all you need to know."

"Great…"

The boy groaned. He never approved of Roseline's crazy plan. He followed because he wanted to make sure Rossel was safe. What kind of friend would he be if he didn't help his friend then?

Yet he kept wondering why he was still there. There. Not home. It could be he was worried about Rossel. It could be he was afraid Roseline would skin him alive. Whatever the reason, he felt that he couldn't return home then.

No more Varrens would be fine by him.

"I know you're not stupid, Rose. Well, sometimes, maybe? Picking fights with bullies three times bigger than you wasn't exactly a smart move…"

"Are you trying to piss me off? If so, congratulation.", Roseline turned around and gave her classmate an angry glare.

"Hey, hey, I'm sorry, okay? Listen, what I'm trying to say is… you're reckless, sure. But you're not the type heading into a dangerous zone for no reasons. Whatever lies you think your mom said, it must have been… I don't know… important?", Tom quickly replied as he moved back a few steps.

The rosy red haired girl stayed silent for a while. Eyes still fixed on the boy. Deep in thoughts. Heavily sighed, she turned her back on him once again and resumed to her search.

A couple of seconds passing by as she started to speak.

"It's about our dad."

"Your… dad? I though your dad was… you know? On Shanxi?"

"They sent his body back home. But mom said his body was never found."

"And what made you so sure about this?"

"We found proof. There was a record in the library. A list showing names of soldiers came from Mindoir who died in the First Contact War. Around twenty men and women were brought back to Mindoir to receive proper burial."

"And… you found your dad's name on this list?"

"If you already knew, why ask?", the girl turned to look at her classmate, then continued walking through the bushy bushes.

"So… did you tell your mom about this? And how did that have anything to do with us wandering around in the forest with a high chance of ending up inside a varren's stomach?", asked Tom. He frowned as he was trying to piece all the information together.

Sighed. Roseline stopped walking as she heard something ahead. Quickly signaled her classmate to shut his mouth. Hid behind a bush. Turned off her flashlight and signaled Tom to do the same. Emerald green eyes traded the surrounding a quick look.

Seemed to be okay.

"If you want to be inside a varren's stomach that badly, don't let me stop you.", coldly replied to Tom. Roseline stood up and turned on her flashlight again after making sure everything was fine.

"I never said that!"

The girl shook her head. Didn't even bother to reply. Her mind traced back to a couple of days ago.

* * *

_"Look what I found.", the rosy red haired girl approached her brother in his room and threw him a datapad. _

_Icy blue eyes fixed on the datapad. Carefully examined the message inside. _

_"This is… how did you get this?", Rossel looked at his sister._

_"Mom's closet."_

_"And how did you manage to open mom's closet?"_

_"Something I learnt on my own. Never mind that, have you finished reading it?", Roseline sat down on a chair opposite of her brother's._

_Frowned. The rosy red haired boy stared at the datapad. Looked at his sister. Then glared back at the datapad._

_"I don't believe it. Why did mom lie to us about dad?"_

_"You saw it for yourself. The record in the library, with dad's name on it. Micheal Shepard. And now this, mom's datapad said that dad's body was deep in the forest.", Roseline pointed at the datapad._

_At one line that said it all._

_"His body was laying somewhere in the forest."_

_"You think mom buried him somewhere in the forest? And lied to us that his body was never found?", the boy continued to frown._

_"There's only one way to find out."_

* * *

Mom lied.

But why? Why lied about dad? What had he done?

Those unanswered questions kept appearing in the rosy red head. Hell, she could live the rest of her life knowing her father died like a soldier fighting aliens. His body was never found. She could live with that, too.

But when mom kept the truth about him from her children. Then that didn't feel right.

And when her twin brother was in danger because of her impulsive action. That didn't feel right, either.

"I don't care about him…"

Mumbling. Shaking the little rosy red head.

"This is only business…"

Little legs kept walking. Emerald green eyes almost merged with the forest green. Scratchy little hands were getting hurter every moment to pass. Annoyed.

She could have gone home by then. She could have given up.

But she wouldn't. This was her doing. Her fault. Her responsibility.

She had to make it right. No matter how she hated her brother.

"Rose! Did you hear something?"

Tom's voice woke Roseline up from her thoughts. She placed a finger on her lips as a sign of silence. The flashlights were turned off once again as the children hid themselves in a nearby bush.

There were some noises. Small. Footsteps. Sound of trampled leaves.

No flashlights. Not a searching party. Varrens?

Getting closer and closer.

That was a human figure.

"Rossel?"

Tom raised his voice in disbelief. Stood up and quickly pointed his flashlight toward the figure.

Rosy red hair with a mix of tiny blue dusts. Icy blue eyes opened wide in shock. Wounded body covered in the color of blood.

And the face that almost the same as Roseline's.

"You guys… don't count me out yet."

The usual smile appeared on Rossel's face. A finger playfully pointed at his sister. Tom sighed in relief and immediately charged forward to help his friend.

"You're hurt! Quick! We've got to get back!"

Roseline stayed silent. Slowly approached her brother and put one of his arms on her shoulder.

"You're really a pain in the ass."

Mumbled. Rosy red haired girl sighed in annoyance.

"Sorry… it looks like our plan is put on hold.", smiled Rossel.

"We'll get our chances.", the girl claimed. Still keeping her cold attitude.

"Yeah… sure… we'll get our chances…"

* * *

Thank you so much for reading! X3


End file.
